


Time is a funny thing

by Windfighter



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Afterlife, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Buried Alive, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt Tony, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-04-24 15:59:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19176610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windfighter/pseuds/Windfighter
Summary: Death isn't always a permanent thing, especially not when you're part of a superhero boy band.(summaries are hard and I will never learn how to do them)





	1. Tony

**Author's Note:**

> Endgame left me sad, so I decided to do as everyone else and try to fix the ending. Story will be two chapters, maaaaybe 3 if I really feel like it but probably not, I have no ideas for the third chapter anyway.
> 
> Anyway enjoy another one in the pile of fix it-fics!

It had been years since he infused his body with extremis. Just a low dose, enough to make him survive the operation. It wasn't enough to completely and instantly heal him from everything, not like the dose Pepper had gotten. As much as he would like to not have to suffer through injuries he knew the public outcry it would cause. It had been years, long enough for him to forget it. In other words he couldn't really be angry at everyone else for forgetting it as well.

 

It was dark when he opened his eyes. Pitch black. He closed his eyes, opened them again. It made no difference.

”Friday?”

Silence met him. Friday wasn't there and he started searching his mind for what had happened. Had he been kidnapped again? Not out of the question. He remembered being in the suit, but he couldn't feel it covering him. Someone had gotten him out of it. He lifted his hand to his chest. The arc reactor was gone, his fingers grabbed hold of a tie. Why was he dressed up?

”Pep?”

No answer. He hadn't been expecting one. He let his hands trace the room he was lying in. He had been placed on something soft, walls were only five centimeters from his sides, ten from his head and feet. He tried to sit up but hit his face on something the moment he lifted his head.

”Holy flying FUCK!”

He remembered a battle. It had been huge. Peter had been there, the Avengers, all of them. Stephen. Rhodey. Pepper. Wait, Pepper? Why was Pepper in a battle?”

_”I am inevitable.”_

_”Hi Inevitable, I am dad.”_

No, that wasn't what had happened. He remembered pain. So much pain. Where was that now? Was he dead? Drugged up? He didn't feel drugged.

_”I am Iron Man.”_

He hit his head again, cried out in pain. The memories washed over him. Thanos, the gauntlet, the portals, spaceships, Peter. Peter was back. Pain coursing through his body as his armor formed around the stones.

_”I am Iron Man.”_

The snap. Thanos turning to dust infront of him. His body stumbling backwards, his mind racing. Peter talking to him, crying. Pepper was there.

_”You can rest now.”_

_”Pep...”_

There had been a weak memory in the back of his mind. He wanted to tell her it was going to be alright, but his body wouldn't cooperate. And then...

He died. Shitfuck. He was lying in a casket, buried six or so feet under. His hand flew to the chest again. Still no arc reactor and why would there be? He didn't need it when he was dead. It would have made getting out easier though. He closed his eyes, had never needed to learn how to get out if he was buried alive but he assumed it must be possible. He touched the sides of the casket again. Soft fabric covered them and he pulled it loose, tied it over his mouth so he wouldn't breathe in soil as it fell over him. It was hard to move in the tight space.

_Let's hope it hasn't been too long since they buried me..._

It wasn't the first time in his life he wished he had been given the super soldier serum and he hoped it wouldn't be the last. He moved as far up in the casket as he could, bent his elbow. The tops of his fingers touched the wood above him. He kept moving around, tried to align himself so he'd hit the middle of the casket, or at least as close to it as possible. The fingers were a guide point and in a swift motion he brought the fingers down, formed a fist and made the fist connect with the wood.

Pain rushed through his hand and arm. He repeated it one, two, five, ten times. His hand was bloody, the skin on his knuckles scraped away. On the eleventh punch the wood cracked. Tony held his breath, forced himself to keep breathing calmly, to not use up what little oxygen there was left. He let his injured hand fall down. It was shaking, he couldn't move his fingers. He brought up his other hand, started pulling at the wood. Splinters got stuck in his fingets but he kept working, made a hole in the wood. Soil started falling down and he shoved the soil and wood to the end of the casket.

The soil was soft when he started digging in it and he thanked his lucky star. It couldn't have been more than maybe three or four days since he was buried. He dug upwards, kept pushing the soil down in the casket, packing it tight on the sides of the hole so it wouldn't cave in over him. After a few minutes he could sit up, ten more and he could almost stand. Oxygen was getting thin and his breathing got quicker to compensate even though he tried to not let it run wild.

Another two minutes and then large clods of earth started falling, hitting his head and shoulders. Oxygen rushed over him and he took deep, greedy breaths. He could hear a scream, sunlight hit his eyes and he had to close them. He blinked a few times, pulled the cloth away from his face so he could breathe freer. Then he opened his eyes, finally used to the light. A face was looking at him, eyes wide. Shock, he had seen it so many times on that face.

”Pep.”

His voice was hoarse, unused for he didn't know how long. She grabbed his hands, helped pull him out of the hole.

”Tony... how?”

”Pep...” he smiled, water gathered in his eyes. He pulled her close, hugged her tightly. Her body trembled but she returned the embrace.

”You were dead...”

His suit was getting wet from their tears. He pulled his fingers through her hair, kissed her cheek. She looked at him, eyes overflowing with tears and emotions.

”How?”

”Extremis”, he answered, kissed her other cheek and rested his forehead against hers, placed his hands on her cheeks and brushing away her tears with his thumbs.

”Mister... Mister Stark...”

He pulled away from Pepper, grabbed Peter and embraced him.

”Kid... kid, I'm so sorry...”

”Tony...” Peter took a shaky breath, wrapped around Tony as if his life was depending on it. It probably was, Tony realized. Peter's life and sanity was depending on him.

”Kid, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean for it to end like that, okay?”

He kissed Peter's head, held him as close as possible. Then his body wavered. Peter held him up, supported him. The adrenaline was gone and he was exhausted, his whole body screaming in pain.

”Easy.”

Pepper grabbed him, wrapped an arm around him to help hold him up. A phone was in her hand and she pressed on it. It beeped twice, then Happy's voice rang through it.

”Hap...” Tony whispered.

Peter and Pepper lowered him to the ground, sank down next to him.

”Hey Happy”, Pepper smiled. ”We need a car, Tony needs medical attention.”

”Tony?”

Happy's voice got thick. Pepper held the screen towards Tony and Tony flashed Happy a smile.

”Hey Hap.”

”How?”

”Extremis”, Pepper answered. No further explanation was needed.

”I'll be there as soon as possible. Morgan, we're going home, they have a surprise for you!”

The call ended. Tony leaned against Pepper, pulled Peter with him. Peter rested his head on Tony's chest, Pepper wrapped her arms around the two of them and Tony closed his eyes. He could rest now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The author has no idea about how Extremis actually works or anything :P


	2. Natasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter because there really wasn't much I could do about it. Enjoy!

Time is a funny thing. One second she was in the present, the next in the past. As if several years hadn't happened. Then minutes stretched to hours as she argued with Clint and seconds stretched to an eternity as she fell, Clint's eyes following her. This was her way of thanking him. Ungrateful maybe, but he had saved her all those years ago, it was her time to save him.

 

Natasha expected darkness. Maybe the flames of hell. Possible cold if Thor's stories of Hel had been true. Instead she was met with brightness, a vast, empty space. There wasn't a ground, but she could still walk around. She could see others, always far away and she couldn't get to them. Time passed, but there was no way of telling how much. A green-skinned woman appeared after a while, her eyes sad behind the anger. For some reason they reminded her about Tony and she wanted to apologize to the woman. For what she couldn't tell. She ended up not saying anything.

More time passed. Occasionaly she would lie down, rest her eyes. She could never tell for how long she had slept. She never felt hungry, which was nice although she missed food. She was used to the emptiness now, but it was getting boring and she started searching for ways to get out. She had barely started when the emptiness was no longer empty and instead filled with people, creatures and plants. She took a shaky breath. The snap. Tony's kid was there, sleeping, together with the wizard Tony had talked about. Five more years, then she would know if their plan had worked. The wizard noticed her, frowned and sat down to meditate. She went over to him.

”Thank you for saving Tony.”

He shook his head.

”Don't thank me, I did what I had to do.”

He looked sad and she sat down next to him. They didn't speak. Natasha counted the kid's breaths. Barely any time at all had passed when the wizard stood up. Natasha moved to say something, ask what was going on, but before she could he had disappeared together with everyone else. Only the few ghostly presences that had been there all along remained and Natasha was alone. Time passed slower, seemed to stretch for an eternity. There didn't seem to be a way out and she was stuck. At last she was stuck with the knowledge that her sacrifice had helped.

New people arrived. Thanos and the Chitauri. Something must have gone wrong. They had won, but how? Curiousity tickled her and she almost walked over to Thanos, almost asked him what had happened. But she blinked and when she opened her eyes two blue eyes was staring at her from a face she knew all too well. Coldness seeped through her body and she shivered.

”Steve?”

”We won.”

He looked sad. Natasha sat up. Vormir stretched our around her and she tilted her head. Steve seemed to understand her question.

”I returned the stone and got our sacrifice back. But... we lost Tony.”

It felt like a punch to the gut, but she kept her face neutral, like she had been taught to do.

”What happened?”

”Bruce snapped everyone back, but Thanos followed us through time. He managed to get the stones but Tony... Tony got them back and snapped Thanos away.”

”Thanos was there, in the soulstone.”

”How was it?”

Steve got up, offered Natasha a hand. She accepted it and he pulled her to her feet.

”Empty. And weird. Are we going home?”

Steve smiled almost apologetic.

”I'm going to get some of that life you and Tony told me to get.”

He wrapped an arm around Natasha, pressed the time travel-device. Natasha shook her head when she noticed where he had taken them.

”He would have wanted you to live in the future.”

”The future is great”, he handed Natasha the device, ”but my heart has always been in the past. The last five years made me realize just how much.”

”There won't be any internet.”

”I'll make do.”

Natasha pulled him in for a hug.

”I'll miss you.”

”I'll miss you too, but I need this. And you? When are you going?”

Natasha stepped away, strapped the device to her hand and smiled.

”I'm going home.”

She pressed the button. The 40s disappeared and she found herself on the plattform. Bruce and Bucky were standing next to it, Sam a bit further away talking with someone. A someone who glanced at Natasha and smiled before returning to the conversation. Natasha stepped off the platform, slipped away. She found an abandoned car and drove away from New York. Home was elsewhere, had been ever since Clint saved her. She smiled as the cottage appeared before her, parked the car on the driveway.

”Aunt Natasha!”

Two kids ran up to her and she hugged them, looked to the cottage. Clint was on the porch, gaping, staring at her. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. For the first time in her life she felt free of the past. She went up to Clint, kissed his cheek. He blinked.

”Nat...”

”I haven't eaten in ten years, I'm _starving_!”

He blinked again, smiled, laughed. Wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her inside. She was home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, the ending is fixed! Steve is still an old man and I'm not sure I want to fix it but I have an idea and if anyone wants to I'll go with it but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
